Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are a variety of reasons a refrigerator will not cool. If you want to spare yourself a little time and hassle, give Superior Santa Monica Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Santa Monica, CA. We’re eager to come out and troubleshoot the cooling issue and fix it for you.

When a refrigerator has lost its cold, it’s time to figure out what the issue might be. Often times it’s something as basic as a good coil cleaning behind the appliance. However, with these latest models of refrigerators, they are manufactured with various sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we look at the most common and simple causes for this issue. Here are some things that we’ve determined lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is it plugged into an electrical outlet? This might seem like it is a silly question, but we’ve been hired for appointments that this was the issue. Somehow, it was not plugged in. Maybe a kid unplugged it, or an electrician while doing a project. Whatever the cause might be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a typical issue for families with children in the home. After all, children like buttons and dials and so, without understanding they’re doing something wrong, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting is not the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Check that the vents inside of the freezer area aren’t blocked with food or containers. This is very common because sometimes frozen veggies get jammed in the back of the freezer. There can be food in the back of a freezer that has long been forgotten.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To be sure, unplug the refrigerator and slide it away from the kitchen wall. The cooling fan for a lot of models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back of the freezer unit. Often times, customers do not think about cleaning this area of the fridge. But, it is important to clean it. And, it builds up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in houses that have cats and dogs. So, find a clean rag and clean the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

This is not suggested for refrigerators that have the back coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it into the wall and monitor if the cooling fan moves.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are many causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to check if the freezer is cold but your fridge is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs if there’s a failure in the defrost system. Or if the automatic defrost has an issue. The evaporator fan motor is another reason.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and then the fan pushes the cool air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly working correctly. The temperature control board that transports the electricity to the compressor and fan, this is not likely the issue but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor within the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best solution but these are a few of of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES